Social Commentary / Art

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Art, regardless of its form, is dead. Art has always been dead. The romanticized view of art includes giving art a soul, a spirit or even an unexplained energy. But art is dead, has no pulse and is cold. Art is a concept, a thing, a string of words, musical notes, an inanimate object, a product sold in the art market, a commodity. I’ve kept a studio practice for over 30 years and this idea of lifeless art is fairly new for me and a little unsettling if I only stay on the surface.

Clouds For Lease.

But if I dig below the surface this lifeless thing called ART does enhance life. It can introduce us to a range of thoughts and emotions. However we should not tag the actual emotions or feelings to art. Tag them to ourselves. This is what art does…It’s a door that we choose to open to get access to our emotions, feelings and ways of seeing. Passage through this door is often a luxury. We wouldn’t pass though the art door if we were seeking food or shelter. Art does not feed us. Art is not food. Art is not a shelter.

Finally, I note the coldness of art…the lack of a pulse. Art is not alive. Even dancing human bodies are only a series of motions that end. Those artists who sacrifice all for their art…forgoing marriages, children and strong commitments to other people end up alone. They become just another notation in an art history book or the maker of some thing in a private or public collection. They create a void in their lives that art cannot fill.

I am an artist. I make things and write poetry (www.ZeorlinArt.com) but none of it has a soul. I am also a husband and father…and it is this part of my life that fills my heart and soul.

I’m happy to let everyone out there on the other side of this computer screen know about an upcoming exhibition which includes 13 pieces of my mixed media art….

The Texas Regional Artists Exhibition opens on July 9th at the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX. The July 9th opening night festivities go from 7 to 9 pm. The show runs through September 24, 2016. There are 4 artists participating in this museum exhibition.

I will show 12 pieces from my “Veil Series” and one mixed media sculpture. When you come to the museum make sure your cellphone has a QR code scanning application ready to go. The sculpture includes QR codes (Quick Read) that link the viewer to collections of poetry, simple blues-folk songs, lowbrow bumper stickers, odd videos and my “imaginary friends” like Average Male and Red Face.

We like to uses grids to understand and plan our world. Think about road maps, electrical schematics, etc. The same grids which give us a system also entrap. We can become stuck and gridlock isn’t just about road traffic. Gridlock is also the result of habits and assumptions. So I’ve created a set of grids which take common things and organize them into something that is pleasing and engaging to view. Call it making order out of chaos…mixed with some magic and logic. I’ve said it all along…those four things are what creates art.

I also use my art to transform common things like cell phone cases, pillows and clothes. So this post is about my art and my various ways of earning a living. If I don’t cheer about my work no one will see it. It’s what artists do to keep working.

Here is a piece of my current artwork (on left side) along with images of a few ways I use my art to bring beauty into everyday life. And yes, you can order pieces inspired by my art from my shop at Redbubble.

Consider spreading my ideas and art around with your friends. Share this post.

“Red Star-Blue Eye” is a recent print from my studio and part of my “Mind Field” series. I’m making a collection of junk and clutter compositions that include related poems. The debris assemblages are the results of my habit of saving odd stuff that eventually gets piled up on anything horizontal. The poems don’t directly explain any of the print images but give clues and hints about what’s on my mind. When it comes down to it, whatever you think is going on in a print is good enough. “What you see is what you get” is my mode of operation. The poems add another dimension but aren’t necessary for a print to be visually engaging. So for now, I’m not including the poetry in this post. You’ll have to come back and look again. The series will eventually be posted at ZeorlinArt.com or in my design project at Redbubble.com.

Today’s blog title seems odd… It’s the result of an Instagram update about printing my fine art on objects of everyday use. I transferred an image of “Veil 519” (a piece from my “Veil Series” mixed media/digital media paintings and prints) to a throw pillow. I shared images of this design on Instagram. Next, a pole dancing instructor and an interior designer both liked the pillow designs. This is why “Pole Dancing + Interior Design + Fine Art” became today’s blog post title. The Instagram responses confirm the unexpected ways fine art reaches out to inspire a diverse group of wonderful people all doing their own thing. I love it.

Throw pillows from the Veil Series design project.

I’m an artist trying to let others know what I do. There’s the risk my efforts will feel like an “infomercial” to some. But I need to use social media to introduce a wider community to my art and designs. So hello to those who discover my studio practice! I welcome your comments and questions. Please forward this blog post to your friends.

I’m using my fine art in ways that let more people see what I do. Art galleries and museums are valid places to view art. But it takes time to go to these traditional art spaces. I’ve exhibited for years and know such places also isolate art from the everyday lives of many people. My fine art brings beauty into our daily lives by letting people see art on things we use often. Please view my “Veil Series design project” at Redbubble.com to see how familiar things (phone cases, scarves, skirts, etc.) change when associated with my fine art.

This piece seems like a good way to step into the first day of May 2015. Spring-like in color. A little patch of spring green beneath the figure’s feet. But, what’s the black column doing imposing upon this soft happy moment?

When I’m in any museum I end up spending part of the time watching people look at art. Some do the nonstop shuffle going from gallery to gallery. Others read all the educational materials before they dare study the artwork. Some seem to look at art only if it has a sitting area in front of it. And then there are those who glance at art in between checking their smart phones. (But those who must stay connected to a phone should talk outside the gallery).

The more I’m in museums the more I realize there is no single best way to spend time looking at art. Those who go to museums go for a variety of reasons. Almost any reason is good enough. Must you have a reason at all? When I’m in any museum I’m reminded of how complex we human beings are. Just look at the art or watch those looking at it and you’ll see what I mean.